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Move over, Scotty: Some real-life engineers and scientists are
flocking to Houston this week to debate the future of
interstellar space travel.

Members of the public, industry professionals and academics have
descended upon the Texas city for the third annual 100 Year
Starship symposium, which will discuss what the world needs to do
in the next 100 years to take
starship technology out of the realm of science fiction and
into reality.

The conference started today (Sept. 19) and runs through Sunday
(Sept. 22). It's hosted by the 100 Year Starship initiative,
which was started with seed money from the U.S. military's
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and seeks to develop a
vehicle over the next century that could reach a far-off star
within a reasonable amount of time. [ Images:
Amazing Visions of Interstellar Starship Travel ]

The symposium "seeks to highlight the small incremental steps as
well as radical leaps required to make significant progress to
interstellar space, and how those steps will yield important
benefits to life on Earth," 100-Year Starship officials wrote in
a release.

The 2013 100 Year Starship symposium will feature presentations
by the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)
Institute's
Jill Tarter, former NASA astronaut and the first
African-American woman in space Mae Jemison, astrophysicist
Hakeem Oluseyi and an international group of 75 other speakers.
About 160 people are expected to attend the conference.

The symposium's reach is wide. Speakers will present papers on
topics such as future propulsion systems, the ethics and cultural
implications of interstellar space travel and the economics of
sending human technology to distant stars.

The conference also features an Earth-based focus. Some
presenters will speak about "how these interstellar-driven
innovations translate to help improve and enhance life here on
Earth today and in the years to come," symposium officials said
in a statement.

Any interested member of the public can take part in the
conference. Tickets to nighttime events — including a "Sci-Fi
Night" that features a screening of the film " Europa
Report " on Friday (Sept. 20) — are available for purchase.
Space enthusiasts can also still register to attend daytime
sessions.

Another notable event hosted by the 100 Year Starship symposium
will attempt to bridge the gap between art and interstellar
science.

"Saturday evening’s 'Accelerating Creativity' dinner features
Bella Gaia, an amazing multimedia performance created and
performed by Kenji Williams and company that interprets
scientific data, actual space images and music to help us
understand humanity’s connection and impact on Earth and with
space," officials wrote.

Visit SPACE.com this week for complete coverage of the
conference. While the conference will not be webcast, 100 Year
Starship officials will release video footage of the plenary
sessions starting the last week in October.